The Lakers can make up for their two straight losses with a win over the Cavs on Monday. That’s their second of six straight games at the STAPLES Center, including a road game against the Clippers. After that, they’re out of town for 22 of 31.

Do the absences of Delonte and Big Z and the Lakers’ own issues — Farmar’s absence, Odom’s knee, Bynum’s rebounding — make you any less excited to see Kobe duel LeBron on Martin Luther King Day? Didn’t think so.

One trade rumor making the rounds: Jermaine O’Neal for Lamar Odom. One player the Lakers apparently won’t be pursuing is Stephon Marbury, who is still seeking his release from the Knicks. Coach Phil Jackson said there had been no substantive discussions about Marbury, and Bryant said he hadn’t heard even a “whisper” about the possibility.